Donkey Kong (game)
Donkey Kong released in 1981 in the arcades, is the first game in the Donkey Kong series and was Nintendo's first big success. It introduced Donkey Kong, the villain, Mario (originally named Jumpman), the protagonist, and Pauline (originally named Lady), the person Mario has to save from Donkey Kong. It later got two sequels, Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong 3, multiple ports, a version for the Game & Watch, a "remake" for the Game Boy, and it also started the Mario series, which became one of the best-selling video game franchises.
Story
Donkey Kong kidnapped Lady and took her to a construction site, and Mario has to climb "100 meters" to rescue her with Donkey Kong throwing barrels and springs, as well as using fire to stop him.
Gameplay
The player plays as Mario, he can move left and right, climb up and down ladders, and jump over enemies. Donkey Kong attempts to kill Mario by throwing obstacles at him, in 25m, he throws barrels, some containing fireballs that break open when they touch the Oil drum at the start of level. Mario can jump over them which gives him points, but he can also find hammers in some levels that he can use to kill the enemies, giving more points than if they were jumped over. If Mario dies in some way (touching a barrel, falling off a platform, etc.), he will lose a life and losing all lives will give a Game Over. Each level also has a timer which goes down until it reaches 0, which also causes Mario to lose a life. Once Mario reaches the platform Lady is standing on, the level will be completed and it continues onto the next level.
Characters
| Character | Information |
|---|---|
| Mario | The protagonist that you play as, he can jump and climb ladders, and he can also kill enemies using a hammer. Sometimes called Jumpman. |
| Lady | The damsel in distress that Mario must save, she's taken by Donkey Kong and is at the end of each level. Eventually renamed to Pauline. |
| Donkey Kong | The antagonist, he tries to stop Mario from saving Lady. He is later revealed in Donkey Kong Country to be a younger Cranky Kong. |
Enemies
| Enemy | Debut | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Barrel | 25m | Thrown by Donkey Kong in 25m, they can easily be jumped over or be broken by a hammer. Some barrels are blue, meaning they contain a fireball, which break open when they reach the [Oil drum] at the start of the level. |
| Fireball | 25m | Sentient fire that appear in 25m, 50m, and 75m. They follow Mario, even climbing up ladders, but they can be killed by hammers. |
| Cement tub | 50m | Cement contained in tubs, appearing in 50m. They are moved along conveyor belts. |
| Jack | 75m | Spring-like objects that appear in 75m. They appear from the top-left and fall off when they reach the edge. |
| Fire | 100m | An enemy like the fireballs, but they're bigger, making them harder to jump over. They only appear in 100m. |
Items
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Hammer | Found in 25m, 50m, and 100m. It can be used to kill enemies, but Mario cannot jump or climb ladders, it eventually disappears and can only be gotten again if there's another hammer in the level. |
| Parasol, Hat & Bag | Lady's items that are lost in 50m, 75m, and 100m. Collecting one will give points. |
Levels
There are four stages: 25m, 50m, 75m, and 100m. In the international version (non-Japanese versions), the levels go in a different order, changing for the first 5 levels:
| Level 1 (L=1) | Level 2 (L=2) | Level 3 (L=3) | Level 4 (L=4) | Level 5 (L=5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25m | 25m | 25m | 25m | 25m |
| 100m | 75m | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| 100m | 75m | 25m | 25m | |
| 100m | 75m | 75m | ||
| 100m | 25m | |||
| 100m |
| Level | Name | Information | Enemies/Items |
|---|---|---|---|
|
25m | Has six floors, Donkey Kong throws barrels, some being blue containing Fireballs, there are two Hammers. | |
 |
50m | Has conveyor belts that move left or right, they also have Cement tubs on them which kill Mario when he touches them, there is one hammer and there's a Parasol & Hat, without a bag. |
|
 |
75m | Has elevators that go up and down, but Mario dies if he hits the platform Donkey Kong's on or if he touches he ground. Jacks bounce from the top left and fall when they reach the edge, there is a Parasol & Bag, without a hat. |
|
 |
100m | Has eight bolts that Mario must get rid of to make Donkey Kong fall and beat the game, fires appear over time, there are two hammers and there's a Parasol, Hat & Bag. |
|
Re-releases
The arcade version has only been re-released twice. First, it was re-released in the arcades in a 2004 compilation called Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, Mario Bros., then, it was re-released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018 in a re-release in the Arcade Archives series by HAMSTER Corporation called Arcade Archives: Donkey Kong, the player can choose to play the original Japanese version called the "Early Version", the later Japanese version called the "Later Version", and the international version called the "International Version", it also includes a HI SCORE MODE where the goal is to get as much points as they can, and a CARAVAN MODE where the goal is to get as much points as they can in 5 minutes, both modes have the option to choose between the Later Version and the International Version.
It's also included as a minigame in Donkey Kong 64, where it can be found in Frantic Factory, it doesn't have any differences, but if the player beats the game once, Lady will be replaced with a Nintendo Coin, if the player beats the game a second time, they get the Nintendo Coin. It's similar to the Rareware Coin, which is unlocked by getting 5000 points in the port of Jetpac found in Cranky's Lab, they are both required to beat the game.
Ports
Similar to many arcade games, Donkey Kong was ported to many consoles, some including, a port to the Atari 2600, which is missing 50m and 75m, meaning it goes from 25m to 100m, a port to the Colecovision, which is missing 50m and 100m is played before 75m, a port to the Intellivision, which is also missing 50m and 75m, and a port to the Commodore 64, which is close to the arcade version, only missing a couple things.
In 1983, Nintendo released the Family Computer, and alongside Donkey Kong Jr. and Popeye, Donkey Kong was a launch title, it plays like the arcade version with some differences like 50m and cutscenes being cut, this version has been re-released multiple times:
- Nintendo Entertainment System
- Same game (mostly due to the consoles being the same except for the name), but is now labeled under the Arcade Classics Series, released in 1986.
- Also re-released in 1988 in a compilation with Donkey Kong Jr. called Donkey Kong Classics.
- Family Computer Disk System
- Also in 1988, mostly the same game but with minor differences.
- Game Boy Advance
- First released for the e-Reader in 2002, called Donkey Kong-e.
- Released later in 2004 as Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong, as part of the Classic NES Series line of re-releases.
- Nintendo Wii / Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo Wii U
- Released on the Virtual Console part of the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo eShop in 2006 for the Wii, 2012 (2013 international) for the 3DS, and 2013 for the Wii U, same game.
- NES Classic Edition and Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer
- Nintendo Switch
- Launch title for Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics in 2018, features online play.
